PAST Announces STEM Education Grant from Verizon to Support Columbus Students

PAST Announces STEM Education Grant from Verizon to Support Columbus Students

(Columbus, OH) – The PAST Foundation headquartered in Columbus, Ohio received a grant of $100,000 from the Verizon Foundation to support PAST informal educational programs for students in Columbus. PAST offers programs that help students build skills such as collaboration, creativity and problem-solving that connect to real-world problems. Using a design-thinking model, students acquire skills that will help them be successful in an increasingly digital workforce.

“The future of Columbus depends on our children and making sure they have every opportunity to be prepared to transition from the classroom to careers,” said Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. “I am grateful to Verizon for its generous contribution to The PAST Foundation to support STEM education for Columbus students.”

Throughout PAST’s programs, students apply skills that help make the transition from classroom to career seamless. Immersive programs give students an opportunity to apply education in real world settings. Most programs run weekly and are led by expert directors who take students on adventures to learn in multiple settings about a variety of content areas. These adventures help students develop the soft skills that business and industry desire, such as problem-solving, collaboration, communication and critical thinking – better preparing them for the future.

“We are so appreciative of the generous support of our partners like Verizon that understand what is needed to help best prepare our students for the future. We have been laser-focused on uniting communities across the nation by connecting students, schools and teachers with businesses and industry,” said Annalies Corbin, Chief Goddess, President & CEO, PAST Foundation.

“We design, test and implement a variety of summer programs, design challenges, and after school programs. These programs allow students to collaborate with professionals and community partners in solving real world issues. Partnering with Verizon helps us reach even more students, allowing them to experience innovative projects that helps tap into their individual talents and passions.”

About PAST Foundation

For 18 years, PAST, a non-profit foundation, has been a leader in designing STEM education across the nation, bringing transdisciplinary problem-based learning to educators and experiential programs to students. Most notably, PAST was recently recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for its Excellence in Innovation in the STEM 2026 vision report. PAST was the only educational entity in Ohio to be included in this publication (full report).

PAST was also recognized in 2014, by CGI America and former President Bill Clinton for their outstanding work, and again in 2015 for their achievements in improving STEM education in rural America. In 2015, the PAST Innovation Lab was recognized by the White House Summit on High School Design.

Since 2000, the Verizon Foundation has donated more than $936 million to address critical societal challenges and effect positive change. The Foundation’s philanthropic focus is ensuring equitable access to education. Its signature program, Verizon Innovative Learning, has given more than a million kids the tech education they deserve, and will help two million more by 2021. Verizon’s employees are generous with their donations and their time, having donated nearly $240 million and served more than 7.8 million volunteer hours to support organizations in their communities. For more information, visit verizon.com/about/responsibility.